Busy With Everything – But Pesach

Slacking off. That is the phrase I would use to describe how I relate to my Pesach cleaning project lately.

I knew the family wedding scheduled a month before Pesach would throw me for a curve, and I was right. My hours have been consumed with running around looking for gowns and other wedding-related accessories. It takes time to find things, to decide where to get my sheitel styled and my makeup done for the big day. I ran around to countless gemachs and ultimately ordered a gown for myself online that needs to be taken to a seamstress for alterations. My daughter and nieces will have matching gowns.

Purim is another loop that has snatched me away. I am usually so Purim-prepared, but this year I feel so behind. One year, I had bought the base for my m’shaloch manos already by Succos time. I have also put together some very cute and shticky things in the past. This year, I still have not finalized how I will package everything. I have yet to buy my daughter’s princess costume. (My sons are letting me get away easy this year, they want to be the secret service – suits with earpieces and walky-talkies.)

Then there is the matter of timing. I feel it is too early to clean certain objects that are still being used and will still get chometzdik, i.e. the toys. Just last week, my husband exited the children’s room with a chocolate chip cookie he’d discovered. He held it up triumphantly and teased, “There’s no chometz in the kids' room!” I think my two-year-old is not getting the message about keeping food in the kitchen.

Since my last major cleaning endeavor, I did maybe a closet or two and some light spring cleaning in the bathroom medicine chest. It feels like I’m not getting anywhere! There is still so much that I can be doing now. For starters: The arts ‘n crafts closet, the linen closet, the coat closet, the seforim shank, the office, the couch.

Oh, let me not forget preparing the papers for the taxes.

In health matters, it seems I am constantly rundown with a cold this entire winter. Maybe I get one as soon as the previous one leaves, who knows? I had a stomach bug that kept me out of commission one whole day, so I definitely lost some ground there. I still stay up much too late and wonder why I have no energy the next day, my usual problems…

So these are my struggles. How will I find the time and energy to near the Pesach-cleaning finish line when there is so much else going on?